vpFREE2 Forums

Vegas medical alert - trip to hell & back.

#1

Hi all

Got into Vegas last Monday of Sept. at 10:30 in evening. Played in
casino for a while and went for late night of steak and eggs. My
steak didn't smell right so I left it; my wife ate hers. Her and I
went to our rental car and pulled our own bags to room at 3AM in
morning. She felt good. At 5 AM she was throwing up chunks of meat
along with other stuff. She passed out in bathroom shortly after
throw up. Called for ambulance.

By 7 AM my wife was in emergency at Valley hospital. By 10 AM she was
on a ventilator. By 5PM Tuesday doctor instructed me to call family
as wife was in serious trouble. Family should come quick as doctors
didn't know if or how long my wife could hold on. They told me, at
one point, her high number on her blood pressure was 50; something I
thought not possible. They gave her meds to bring up pressure and she
stabilized for two days. They settled on a sepsis infection
diagnosis. They bombarded her with antibiotics. However, they ran
tests and cultures from ecoli and lung infections to heart conditions
and food poison. They never did determine what caused the infection.
I think the rotten steak had something to do with it. I don't know if
they checked for any reported cases of food poison. By the 3rd day
my wife was responding to treatment. She wasn't out of the woods till
the 5th day. They removed the ventilator on 6th day and discharged
her from hospital on 11th day. It was not a good Vegas visit.

Two points I believe group should take interest in.

1. My wife got excellent treatment at Valley hospital on Shadow lane
and Charleston. The doctors and staff were friendly, thorough and
professional. We expect this treatment but don't always get it. They
are all Aces at Valley.

2. When traveling to Vegas it might not be a bad idea to research the
hospitals in the area where you are staying; especially if you have
some health problem or are traveling with kids. It can help to know a
little about where you or your kids might have to be treated. When
the ambulance driver was ready to transport patient, he asked
me, "Where do you want to go?" In my neck of the woods the ambulance
takes you to the closest hospital. I told the driver to pick one.
Then the driver and the other medic had a discussion about where to
go. They mentioned some hospitals had a 12 hour or more wait to see
patients. I consider my wife and I to be lucky because the drivers
took us to the right place. Anyway, considering health care on
vacation is something I never would have considered before. I know
better now. The internet makes it so easy to have a hospital plan.
Spend 15 minutes less on car rental research and look over the
hospitals.

By the way, looking over the health care options doesn't only apply
to Vegas.

Cheers......Jeep

#2

Wow, what an incredible story. But I have to ask; what casino did
you eat at? Not that namimg the place would pronounce them guilty,
but I want to avoid the place anyway.

Hi all

Got into Vegas last Monday of Sept. at 10:30 in evening. Played in
casino for a while and went for late night of steak and eggs. My
steak didn't smell right so I left it; my wife ate hers. Her and

I

went to our rental car and pulled our own bags to room at 3AM in
morning. She felt good. At 5 AM she was throwing up chunks of

meat

along with other stuff. She passed out in bathroom shortly after
throw up. Called for ambulance.

By 7 AM my wife was in emergency at Valley hospital. By 10 AM she

was

on a ventilator. By 5PM Tuesday doctor instructed me to call

family

as wife was in serious trouble. Family should come quick as

doctors

didn't know if or how long my wife could hold on. They told me, at
one point, her high number on her blood pressure was 50; something

I

thought not possible. They gave her meds to bring up pressure and

she

stabilized for two days. They settled on a sepsis infection
diagnosis. They bombarded her with antibiotics. However, they ran
tests and cultures from ecoli and lung infections to heart

conditions

and food poison. They never did determine what caused the

infection.

I think the rotten steak had something to do with it. I don't know

if

they checked for any reported cases of food poison. By the 3rd

day

my wife was responding to treatment. She wasn't out of the woods

till

the 5th day. They removed the ventilator on 6th day and

discharged

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "whitejeeps" <whitejeeps@...> wrote:

her from hospital on 11th day. It was not a good Vegas visit.

#3

What a terrible thing to happen. Please share with us where you ate.

Charles <fromthevault@yahoo.com> wrote: Wow, what an incredible story. But I have to ask; what casino did
you eat at? Not that namimg the place would pronounce them guilty,
but I want to avoid the place anyway.

Hi all

Got into Vegas last Monday of Sept. at 10:30 in evening. Played in
casino for a while and went for late night of steak and eggs. My
steak didn't smell right so I left it; my wife ate hers. Her and

I

went to our rental car and pulled our own bags to room at 3AM in
morning. She felt good. At 5 AM she was throwing up chunks of

meat

along with other stuff. She passed out in bathroom shortly after
throw up. Called for ambulance.

By 7 AM my wife was in emergency at Valley hospital. By 10 AM she

was

on a ventilator. By 5PM Tuesday doctor instructed me to call

family

as wife was in serious trouble. Family should come quick as

doctors

didn't know if or how long my wife could hold on. They told me, at
one point, her high number on her blood pressure was 50; something

I

thought not possible. They gave her meds to bring up pressure and

she

stabilized for two days. They settled on a sepsis infection
diagnosis. They bombarded her with antibiotics. However, they ran
tests and cultures from ecoli and lung infections to heart

conditions

and food poison. They never did determine what caused the

infection.

I think the rotten steak had something to do with it. I don't know

if

they checked for any reported cases of food poison. By the 3rd

day

my wife was responding to treatment. She wasn't out of the woods

till

the 5th day. They removed the ventilator on 6th day and

discharged

her from hospital on 11th day. It was not a good Vegas visit.

vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "whitejeeps" wrote:

#4

Glad to hear your wife will be okay, Whitejeeps. I have a question, though. If your steak "smelled funny," why didn't you complain -- get a different one or order something else from the menu? I certainly hope you didn't pay for it! Just wondering....
-- Steve in LV, who can't eat food that stinks

#5

Steve Del Nero wrote:

I have a question, though. If your steak "smelled funny," why didn't
you complain ...

Steve, while I have every expectation that your question was well
intentioned, it's extraordinarily insensitive in these circumstances.
Any desired response serves no benefit.

- H.

#6

Good point Steve

It was one those midnight "specials". The food came and the steaks
were on the rare side. I'm more af a well done eater. Smell wasn't an
issue yet. I sent my steak back. My wife didn't notice any thing
wrong with food and neither did I, at this point. When my steak came
back from recooking, that's when I noticed the smell oozing out of
it. I think cooking well done brought out the smell. I was already
done with my eggs and I just pushed the steak aside. My sister-in-law
was with us. She had a fish sandwich. We all were able to notice the
smell of my steak, after it was cooked more. It was more noticable to
me as it was under my nose in front of me. The problem was my wife
thought the steak didn't taste bad. I didn't bother to taste steak as
the smell turned me off.

I didn't ask for no charge on food or complain. Service was bad that
nite, the nite specials were cheap and the food was on comp. It was a
long day for us with eastern time change to Vegas time. I signed at
register and got out of there.

I want to add again, we don't know if the steak had anything to do
with the problem. If I was thinking quickly, I would have saved a
sample of the chunks of food that came up. Food sample can help
doctors plan treatment. If something like this ever happens again,
I'll save some. Maybe a test of it might have either confirmed or
eliminated the food as a cause. The doctors seem to feel the food
couldn't have caused all the problem. It could have been some of the
problem. At the time of discharge none of the tests could confirm.
Many of the tests take a few days.

Cheers...Jeep

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Del Nero" <artcontrol@...>
wrote:

Glad to hear your wife will be okay, Whitejeeps. I have a

question, though.

If your steak "smelled funny," why didn't you complain -- get a

different

one or order something else from the menu? I certainly hope you

didn't pay

···

for it! Just wondering....
-- Steve in LV, who can't eat food that stinks

#7

Hey Harry.

Steves question doesn't bother me at all. Actually, I should have
complained. Management might have taken steps to eliminate any problem
that could have hurt someone . A few days later I was at a buffet in
large popular casino with this group. The blackberry pies had mold
under the crust. I mentioned to the coffee server and shortly
thereafter the pies were being removed from the desert area. They even
searched tables and got one of the pies from another diner.

Again, the most important reason for posting; get a little info on a
plan in the event one might need health services. It's easier today
with the internet. Not just hospital, even more minor things. If you
don't have any info the first place to start asking questions is the
hotel. They many times will suggest local doctors or clinics. I have
done that in the past.

Cheers...Jeep

.
.

Steve Del Nero wrote:
> I have a question, though. If your steak "smelled funny," why

didn't

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Harry Porter" <harry.porter@...> wrote:

> you complain ...

Steve, while I have every expectation that your question was well
intentioned, it's extraordinarily insensitive in these circumstances.
Any desired response serves no benefit.

- H.

#8

Jeeps, I totally respect your decision notto post the name of the
place since you are not positive that it caused your wifes illness
even though you think it might have. You give good advise on
medical care away from home. Glad you wife is better and I hope
she makes a complete recovery

> Again, the most important reason for posting; get a little info

on a

plan in the event one might need health services. It's easier

today

with the internet. Not just hospital, even more minor things. If

you

don't have any info the first place to start asking questions is

the

hotel. They many times will suggest local doctors or clinics. I

have

done that in the past.

Cheers...Jeep

.
.

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Harry Porter" <harry.porter@>

wrote:

>
> Steve Del Nero wrote:
> > I have a question, though. If your steak "smelled funny," why
didn't
> > you complain ...
>
> Steve, while I have every expectation that your question was well
> intentioned, it's extraordinarily insensitive in these

circumstances.

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "whitejeeps" <whitejeeps@...> wrote:

> Any desired response serves no benefit.
>
> - H.
>

#9

Good question, Steve. I was wondering the same thing!

Although, Jeep says the cause was not conclusive, if the story is true, then
I see no harm in sharing the name of the restaurant with us. Why not let
us decide for ourselves what we do with the information.

···

On 10/14/06, Steve Del Nero <artcontrol@cox.net> wrote:

Glad to hear your wife will be okay, Whitejeeps. I have a question,
though.
If your steak "smelled funny," why didn't you complain -- get a different
one or order something else from the menu? I certainly hope you didn't
pay
for it! Just wondering....
-- Steve in LV, who can't eat food that stinks

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#10

Curtis Rich wrote:

Although, Jeep says the cause was not conclusive, if the story is
true, then I see no harm in sharing the name of the restaurant with
us. Why not let us decide for ourselves what we do with the
information.

Most food borne bacteria that cause "food poisoning", have incubation
periods of 24 hours or more. The bacterium that have shorter incubation
periods (that I could find quickly) are:

Staph Aureus:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000227.htm

and

Salmonella:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000294.htm

Personally, I feel Jeep is justified in keeping the restaurant's name
out of the issue, especially when the cause of the illness wasn't
cut-and-dried. I see cases all the time of people that think they've
contracted a case of "food poisoning", when it actually turns out to be
something else. And in this case, it's not fair to the restaurant to
potentially sully their good name with information that may, or may not
be correct.

Either way Jeep, I'm glad things are getting better for your wife.

  --Brett

#11

Jeep-
   
     Glad your wife pulled through. That sound's like a close one, and not a fun trip.
     I hope you called the Clark County Health Dept. about that rotten steak.
   
  Ned C.
  The Wild Joker

···

whitejeeps <whitejeeps@yahoo.com> wrote:
          Hi all

Got into Vegas last Monday of Sept. at 10:30 in evening. Played in
casino for a while and went for late night of steak and eggs. My
steak didn't smell right so I left it; my wife ate hers. Her and I
went to our rental car and pulled our own bags to room at 3AM in
morning. She felt good. At 5 AM she was throwing up chunks of meat
along with other stuff. She passed out in bathroom shortly after
throw up. Called for ambulance.

By 7 AM my wife was in emergency at Valley hospital. By 10 AM she was
on a ventilator. By 5PM Tuesday doctor instructed me to call family
as wife was in serious trouble. Family should come quick as doctors
didn't know if or how long my wife could hold on. They told me, at
one point, her high number on her blood pressure was 50; something I
thought not possible. They gave her meds to bring up pressure and she
stabilized for two days. They settled on a sepsis infection
diagnosis. They bombarded her with antibiotics. However, they ran
tests and cultures from ecoli and lung infections to heart conditions
and food poison. They never did determine what caused the infection.
I think the rotten steak had something to do with it. I don't know if
they checked for any reported cases of food poison. By the 3rd day
my wife was responding to treatment. She wasn't out of the woods till
the 5th day. They removed the ventilator on 6th day and discharged
her from hospital on 11th day. It was not a good Vegas visit.

Two points I believe group should take interest in.

1. My wife got excellent treatment at Valley hospital on Shadow lane
and Charleston. The doctors and staff were friendly, thorough and
professional. We expect this treatment but don't always get it. They
are all Aces at Valley.

2. When traveling to Vegas it might not be a bad idea to research the
hospitals in the area where you are staying; especially if you have
some health problem or are traveling with kids. It can help to know a
little about where you or your kids might have to be treated. When
the ambulance driver was ready to transport patient, he asked
me, "Where do you want to go?" In my neck of the woods the ambulance
takes you to the closest hospital. I told the driver to pick one.
Then the driver and the other medic had a discussion about where to
go. They mentioned some hospitals had a 12 hour or more wait to see
patients. I consider my wife and I to be lucky because the drivers
took us to the right place. Anyway, considering health care on
vacation is something I never would have considered before. I know
better now. The internet makes it so easy to have a hospital plan.
Spend 15 minutes less on car rental research and look over the
hospitals.

By the way, looking over the health care options doesn't only apply
to Vegas.

Cheers......Jeep

---------------------------------
Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#12

Brett
True about incubation period being 24 hr or more for food borne
bacteria. Some are much shorter. One wild card; if one is vomiting,
asperiating stomach acid and spoiled food, it can really tear up your
lungs and cause a lot of damage all over body, speeding up some
processes.

Anyway, my wife and I were out today for dinner at my daughters. The
sun and air was nice. About 5 hours away and she was ready to go
home. It will take some time to get near 100%. All is well and
improving.

Thanks all for the well wishes.......Jeep

.
.

Curtis Rich wrote:

> Although, Jeep says the cause was not conclusive, if the story is
> true, then I see no harm in sharing the name of the restaurant

with

> us. Why not let us decide for ourselves what we do with the
> information.

Most food borne bacteria that cause "food poisoning", have

incubation

periods of 24 hours or more. The bacterium that have shorter

incubation

periods (that I could find quickly) are:

Staph Aureus:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000227.htm

and

Salmonella:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000294.htm

Personally, I feel Jeep is justified in keeping the restaurant's

name

out of the issue, especially when the cause of the illness wasn't
cut-and-dried. I see cases all the time of people that think they've
contracted a case of "food poisoning", when it actually turns out

to be

something else. And in this case, it's not fair to the restaurant to
potentially sully their good name with information that may, or may

not

···

-- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "vex" <vexicon@...> wrote:

be correct.

Either way Jeep, I'm glad things are getting better for your wife.

  --Brett